Chocolate Peanut Butter Cup Cookies - Yes, Dairy Free
Calling chocolate peanut butter lovers!
Ever struggle to decide between a chocolate peanut butter cup and a cookie for dessert?
Need your dessert to be dairy free?
Struggle and need no longer! Lean in- we can have it all!
Hypothesis 1: We can make delicious chocolate peanut butter cup in cookie form, all without dairy!
Hypothesis 2: Trying to balance it all will be so easy and relaxing!
Method
Recipe Source:
Dairy free modifications:
Instead of butter, I used Imperial brand margarine sticks.
Procedures:
Filling Preparation
First, prepare your peanut butter filling. This is because after we mix the ingredients (not pictured), we roll them into little balls, and then freeze them (Figure 1). They don’t need to be perfectly spherical, because we will be smooshing them (technical baking term) soon.
Figure 1. Peanut buttery.
Cookie dough preparation
Next, we’ll assemble the cookie dough. I appreciate the author’s consideration of our time and effort here. Instead of having us mix dry ingredients and wet separately, she instructs us to use one bowl in several steps. First, we mix the wet ingredients (including sugars) in the bowl (Figures 2-3), then add most of the dry ingredients (Figure 4), and finally add the rest of the flour (Figures 5-6). The flour is added last, so that we don’t overwork the gluten and negatively affect the texture of the cookie.
Figure 2. Wet ingredients, part 1.
Figure 3. Wet ingredients, part 2.
Figure 4. Dry ingredients, part 1.
Figure 5. Dry ingredients, part 2 (aka flour).
Figure 6. Chocolatey cookie dough!
Assembly Instructions
After we portion out the cookie dough (Figure 7), we’ll roll and flatten each ball. Then, carefully place one peanut butter ball on each flattened cookie dough ball (Figure 8), gingerly wrap the cookie dough around the peanut butter filling (Figure 9), and gently flatten. We coat the cookie in sugar, which I discovered can be done before or after flattening (Figure 10).
Figure 7. Portioned cookie dough.
Figure 8. Up close and personal with some chocolate and peanut butter.
Figure 9. All wrapped up.
Figure 10. Ready, set, bake!
Results
Does it take like an authentic, classic chocolate peanut butter cup candy?
Having been severely allergic to dairy my whole life, I am not the person who can tell you that.
What I can tell you, is that these were happily devoured by lovers of the original candy, and cookie lovers alike.
Until you try them, I’ll leave the pictures here as evidence.
Figure 11. Freshly outta the oven.
Figure 12. Already missing a few ;)
Figure 13. A very scientific cross-section.
Figure 14. They even mingle well with other cookies!
Figure 15. Which would you eat first?
Discussion
Our first hypothesis was strongly supported. While direct evidence cannot be supplied regarding convergent validity with authentic, original chocolate peanut butter cup candy, results demonstrate that these were chocolatey and peanut buttery, with a lovely balance between the two iconic and complementary flavors.
Our primary reviewer simply chewed and nodded for several moments. He then commented, “I’m speechless. Delicious. Subtle. That is my quote. Thank you.”
Our second reviewer commented that they tasted like chocolate peanut butter whoopie pies, so there’s that. The cookies are indeed soft and pillowy, while chewy and slightly gooey on the inside.
Was the second hypothesis supported? Was making a cookie version of a candy, made of two components, all while keeping it dairy free, easy and relaxing? Mixed evidence suggests that it is a matter of perspective and prioritization. Having two components in a cookie form does require some extra steps. However, our recipe author did help us by minimizing steps in one area to make way for more effort in others. Additionally, I had mentally prepared for the extra steps- I was specifically looking for a project that would take a little more time and attention. Playing some fun music, thinking about the loved ones I was making these for, made the whole experience fun, not to mention the delicious outcomes. Making these dairy free was one of the simplest parts- it just required a 1:1 swap of Imperial brand margarine sticks instead of butter.
If we want it all, we have to recognize that it may take more thought, effort, and intentionality to make the process feel the way we want. If that’s where you are at, go for it! Try these, or try my dairy free macarons or making your own Fig Newtons. Other times, you might be looking for something more straightforward, and that’s wonderful too (try these more standard cookies, or these blondies- no portioning or rolling required!).
Future Directions (Aka more recipe inspiration)
Looking for more chocolate peanut butter, but in pie form? Check out this post!
Peanut butter cookies with chocolate? I got you covered here too!
Looking for gluten free and dairy free? Try these customizable almond cookies or these chocolate crinkle cookies.
Vegan? Try these aquafaba meringes (time consuming and patience-testing, but not effortful).
Bonus- if you didn’t count out how many peanut butter balls you might need, like I didn’t, you may end up with some extra. I coated mine in melted chocolate chips (Trader Joe’s semi-sweet, which are dairy free!), and after freezing, stored in the fridge.